Add me to the list of people that got started with stick and tissue, and then moved into RC.
For me though, I was given my first kit just this past Christmas, a Dumas P-26 Peashooter. Last week I bought the HZ Delta Ray!

You seem to be advocating for tough love. However, OP made it clear that it was teasing in her opinion and it's easy to assume that not every detail was told here. When it becomes ritualized and causes the students to notice, it quickly becomes harassment.